Building inclusive economies by advancing women’s economic empowerment, decent work, and equal opportunity.
Around the world, women earn far less than men. On average, men earn nearly 40 percent more than women, and at the current pace, closing this gap could take 123 years.
Many women work in lower-paid or insecure jobs, have limited access to financial resources, and carry a much heavier share of unpaid care work at home. These barriers restrict their time, income, and choices.
Women are also underrepresented in leadership positions and often excluded from fast-growing sectors such as renewable energy and technology. Even in entrepreneurship, only one in three entrepreneurs around the world is a woman.
Creating a gender-equal economy simply means women and men having the same chances to work, earn, build assets, and make decisions about their lives. When women and girls have equal opportunities to participate, entire societies prosper. Global wealth could grow by an estimated $160 trillion if women and men earned equally.
Economic opportunity is not only about income. It includes access to resources, the ability to influence decisions, and having fair laws, policies, and social norms that allow women and girls to thrive. Achieving this requires investment, supportive policies, and changing the norms that restrict women’s options.
CARE International is committed to helping change this.
By 2030, we aim to have a positive impact on the lives of 50 million women and girls, as they gain more equal access to — and control over — economic resources and opportunities.
14.5 million: Women and girls impacted with increased access to and control over economic resources through CARE International’s programs between 2020 and 2025 (CARE PIIRS Data).
How CARE International helps the economy work for women and girls
CARE International works to make the economy fairer and more responsive to the needs of women and girls. We partner with local organizations, women’s groups, worker associations, governments, and the private sector to expand access to income, financial tools, and leadership opportunities.
Our approach combines direct support for women with longer-term efforts to improve the rules and systems that shape the economy. We walk alongside women as they build businesses, strengthen skills, and grow assets.
We advocate to shape national, regional and global structures, in the economy, trade and financial sector, to provide equal opportunities to women and girls. And we support governments, employers and businesses to adopt policies and practices that promote fairness, safety, and equal opportunity.
- Expanding access to financial services and assets, including digital tools and fintech solutions that help women manage money, grow businesses, and reduce risks.
- Strengthening dignified work conditions and labour rights, for formal and informal workers, in partnership with workers, employers, and businesses.
- Supporting entrepreneurs and small-scale producers with skills, mentoring, market access, and digital solutions that open new economic pathways.
- Working with communities to shift harmful norms that limit women’s and girls’ choices or restrict their economic participation.
- Advocating for fair and protective systems, policies and investments, by working with governments, global agencies and businesses to tackle barriers and foster women’s and girls’ economic opportunities.
We work with women and girls who are excluded from economic systems because of long-standing structural barriers, crisis, or displacement. Many are workers, entrepreneurs, or small-scale producers who face limited access to resources, markets, and the protections needed to build secure livelihoods. Or they face restrictions through performing unequal amounts of unpaid care work, having limited time to engage in paid activities, their communities or rest.
CARE also advocates for greater investment in the care economy and green jobs, to tackle structural inequalities, accelerate women’s opportunities and unlock growth. These are two of the fastest-growing sectors, and investing in them can reduce inequality and boost economic growth. For example, every dollar invested in the care economy can generate almost four dollars in return by improving well-being and enabling more women to work.
Making markets work for women and girls is a win-win scenario.
